Coolink ChipChilla Chipset Cooler Review

Packaging and Accessories

The ChipChilla’s packaging scheme left us with mixed feelings. Even with just a quick glance one can tell that this unit has been designed for retail store shelf sales and this shows in the compromises that had to be made to make it competitive in that marketplace. On the positive side, the back of the package has lots of information that would certainly help a first time buyer in making a purchasing decision; especially if that first time buyer was expected to see this box on display at his local computer store. More importantly than the provided information, they would not only be able to read about its specifications but actually see three sides and the top and bottom of the ChipChilla through the plastic packaging. This here is actually the sticking point for me; the ChipChilla’s cardboard and plastic package offers very little protection from knocks, bangs and assorted other minor catastrophes. Yes, a picture is never as good as actually seeing a product, but when there is only a thin plastic covering between the cooler and the hard floor, it just doesn’t instill one with confidence; especially if you were planning on ordering this from across the country.

When you do remove the cardboard back from the unit (which is very easy as it just slides out and is not even secured with a staple) you get an inkling that Coolink understood that they were making a lot of compromises and tried their best to improve upon its damage reducing ability. In practical terms what this amounts to is a secondary plastic container which protects the top, bottom, left and right sides and even the back of the ChipChilla. If Coolink had designed it so that it protected the front as well then it would have been a very good (and ingenious) protection scheme. As it stands it’s more than what a lot of other companies do and any extra protection is always a good thing!


The list of accessories that comes with this unit is more than adequate, though we would have liked to see something besides the ketchup packet style TIM dispenser that was included (or at the very least include a couple of them since these really are one-use dispensers). The full list of accessories is: one small dispenser of “Stars soft pak” white thermal grease, one foam spacer (aka square foam gasket), mounting equipment for both pushpin and wire retention mounting systems and the cardboard back of the container also doubles as a folded installation pamphlet (so no ripping it up getting the ChipChilla out of its packaging!). As we said the list is more than adequate and given the price range of this unit we were not exactly expecting a big bag of goodies to be included.

All in all the ChipChilla packaging is one of the better examples of this style of retail packages that we have seen. Just as importantly, the accessories are few but they are more than complete enough to get the job done and in the end that’s what is really important.